Experts are full of valuable knowledge and are ready to help with any question. Credentials confirmed by a Fortune 500 verification firm.

Get a Professional Answer

Via email, text message, or notification as you wait on our site.Ask follow up questions if you need to.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

Rate the answer you receive.

Ask Dr. Joey Your Own Question

Dr. Joey, Board Certified

Category: Dog Veterinary

Satisfied Customers: 4695

Experience: 15 yrs in practice, specialist canine/feline medicine

20970409

Type Your Dog Veterinary Question Here...

Dr. Joey is online now

Broug ht dog jnside after being outside half hour in the

Customer Question

broug ht dog jnside after being outside for one half hour in the country he was limping and his left rear foot was bleeding on top a little but was swollen quite a bit never herd anything is this a snake bite no vets avaible

Hello I am Dr. Joey. Thanks for trusting me to help you and your pet today. I am a licensed veterinarian with over 15 years of experience. I look forward to working with you.

This does sound concerning for Romeo. Yes, this could possibly be a snake bite. Some of the indications it is a viper bite is there will be one to two small bleeding pinpoint (almost like dots of blood on the skin) areas and surrounding that the area will be very very swollen. He will probably also be incredibly painful to the point he may try to bite you, if you touch. The swelling will be marked within the first 60 minutes (sometimes swelling 3 to 5 times normal).

All viper bites are a medical emergency, especially in Texas. If you think this is really a snake bite, then I must advise, even if it might be an hour's drive to take him to be seen now on emergency. These can be rapidly life-threatening, depending on the type of snake. Anti-venin may be needed, especially if this was a rattlesnake.

The bad news is there is no over-the-counter easy solution for this. You can administer benadryl (diphenhydramine) to perhaps help a bit but this is not a treatment that works. There are no safe pain relief drugs for this particular problem that I can recommend (do NOT give ibuprofen, acetaminophen or naproxen; aspirin does not work well in these situations and could potentially exacerbate bleeding issues that are associated with some snake bites). Most of the time these are so painful you really cannot touch the area without him trying to bite you, and topically there is not much you can do. You cannot suck out venom; this is a myth. It will not help to soak the paw and whatever you do, do not put any incisions into the skin.

If this has not remarkably swollen like I said above, you see no solitary bites and it is not painful, then this is probably not a snake. Perhaps it is a bee sting or other insect and then Benadryl may be helpful (1mg per pound every 8 hours), but even then if the swelling becomes severe the vet needs to administer a steroid injection.

If you want to read more about snake bites: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2111

I am at a point I need to know what questions you have. I hope that the information I provided has been helpful.

Please let me know if for any reason you need further clarification, have more questions, or were expecting a different type of answer.

My goal is to provide the best answer possible prior to you leaving a feedback rating.

If you received all the information you needed, then kindly submit a rating.

there were two pin hole spots of blood about one inch or two apart swelling was 3-5 times normal he is resting quietly breathing is normal alert but tired lets you touch his paw/foot is eating and drinking seems ok but all this is confusing we also have been killing scorpions all day could that be the bite

I am sorry I was unable to respond last evening. I am on east coast time and we lost power in a t-storm for a while. This sounds like a snake bite. Aside from the initial swelling and pain, and potential for venom exposure, our next concern with these bites is the profound infection that comes with the bite. He must be started on an effective oral antibiotic within the next 24 hours.